Mules Wrap Up Regular Season on the Road

WARRENSBURG, Mo. (May 2, 2019) - No. 11 Central Missouri Mules Baseball finishes up the regular season this weekend on the road as they take on Missouri Western in a three-game set.

Opponent
Missouri Western Griffons (19-20, 16-14 MIAA)

Where
St. Joseph, Mo. - Griffons Baseball Field

When
Friday-Sunday, May 3-5
Friday, May 3 - 7 p.m.
Saturday, May 4 - 7 p.m.
Sunday, May 5 - 1 p.m.

Tickets
Admission is free for games on Friday and Sunday. The Griffons will be charging $5 admission Saturday as a fundraiser with all proceeds going to Partridge Children Education Fund.

On the Air
• There will be live stats available on www.ucmathletics.com. and a live streak on www.theMIAANetwork.com/UCMMules

First Pitch
• Central Missouri wraps up the regular season this weekend with a trip to Missouri Western. 
• The Mules have clinched a spot in the MIAA postseason and are looking for their 26th MIAA Regular Season Championship.
• Last week, UCM swept Fort Hays State, outscoring the Tigers 48-5 in three games. 
• Next weekend is the MIAA Tournament, held May 9-12 in Pittsburg, Kan. 

Quick Hits
• Central Missouri totaled 39 wins last year. The Mules have won at least 30 games in all five seasons under Coach Crookes.
• The team improved by seven wins and won an MIAA title and returned to the NCAA postseason in 2018.
• The Mules have 32 wins this season, the 26th straight season UCM has won at least 30 games. 
• UCM was ranked first in the first NCAA Central Region Rankings.
• The Mules have finished with a winning record in each of the last 32 seasons. 
• The Mules finished third in the regular season standings a year ago and were the MIAA Tournament Champions, advancing to the NCAA Regional for the 29th time. 
• Two wins this weekend will ensure the Mules of their 26th MIAA regular season championship.

The Series
• All-time the Mules are 115-36 against Missouri Western. It is their third-highest win total against any one opponent. 
• The Mules swept the Griffons at home back in February of last year during the regular season. They also defeated them 9-3 in game one of the MIAA Tournament.
• UCM is 9-4 against the Griffons in Coach Crookes' first four years.

Missouri Western
• At 16-14 the Griffons are right on the edge of an MIAA Tournament berth. One more win will secure their spot in next weekend's tournament. 
• The Griffons are 19-20 overall. After a four-game winning streak, they've dropped five of their last six. 
• As a team, Missouri Western is middle of the pack in both pitching and hitting. They are sixth in the league with a 4.87 ERA and seventh with a .271 team batting average.
• Conrad McMahon returned to the lineup last weekend after having missed the past three weeks. He leads MWSU hitting .350 with 36 hits in 103 at bats.
• Casey Danley has been their biggest run-producer. He has 11 home runs and 35 runs batted in. His .623 slugging percentage is also tops on the Griffons.
• Dusty Stroup and Fahd Shakeel are both hitting better than .300. Stroup also has a .400 on base percentage with a team-best 12 doubles. Shakeel leads the club with 10 stolen bases.
• Anthony Castaneda has been the team's ace. In 11 starts hes's 6-2 with a 2.62 ERA and 101 strikeouts in 79 innings pitched.
• Jacob Purl has started 10 games with a 4.58 ERA and is 2-1 having fanned 81 hitters.
• Roy Robles has started six games and Jacob Miller five. Miller has pitched more out of the bullpen lately with his last start coming March 24.
• Carson Dwyre leads the Griffons with three saves out of the bullpen and has a 3.86 ERA.
• Defensively, Missouri Western is next to last in the MIAA with a .950 fielding percentage. 

Individual Milestones
• Luke Mercer is tied for 10th all-time with 11 career saves. One away from ninth place.  
• With his 71 stolen bases, Mason Janvrin is four steals away from reaching the Mules all-time top 10. He also needs three more to join the single-season top-10. His next start will be the 100th of his career. 
• Erik Webb is in the UCM all-time top-10 in doubles (54, T6), triples (14, 6th) and home runs (34, 3rd). He is three home runs away from second and 10 from the all-time leader. 
• Harrison Schnurbusch is three runs away from 100. 
• Jonathan Sprinkle needs one more strikeout for 50 this season.
• Michael Sinks needs four more RBI to reach 50 and Cole Taylor is two hits away from 50. 

Who's Hot?
• Josh Schumacher continues to hit. He's got at least two hits in his last six starts and is 16-26 in his last seven games with seven doubles, a home run and nine RBI.
• Last week, Michael Sinks hit .800 with eight hits in 10 at bats. He scored nine runs and drove in nine with two doubles and three home runs.
• Ben Kelsch has a 1.64 ERA in his last three starts spanning 22 innings.
• Mason Green has a 1.88 ERA in eight MIAA starts and is 6-0 in conference games.
• Erik Webb is hitting .430 overall and in MIAA games. He's hitting .500 in his last 10 games with five home runs and 17 runs batted in.
• Mason Janvrin hit .571 last weekend and is up to .402 in MIAA games. All four of his home runs have come in conference games. 
• Cole Taylor drove in five runs last weekend. 

MIAA Leaders
• As a team, the Mules lead the MIAA with a .337 batting average, the only team above .300 in the league. They also have the highest slugging percentage at .536 and on-base percentage at .414. No other team in the league is slugging better than .500 or has an on-base above .400. 
• Three Mules are in the top-10 in the MIAA in hitting. Erik Webb is at the top hitting .430 and Mason Janvrin is second at .426. Alex Madera is fifth hitting .369. 
• Janvrin also leads the league in runs scored (59), stolen bases (31) and hits (81).
• Webb's .895 slugging percentage is tops in the league as are his 62 runs batted in, 19 doubles, five triple and 17 home runs. He is second in the MIAA in runs scored with 51.
• Michael Sinks moved to a tie for third place with 46 RBI. Harrison Schnurbusch is ninth with 38.
• Alex Madera is tied for fourth with 16 doubles. 
• Micah Evans and Donovan Ditto are third in the MIAA with 11 hit-by-pitches. 
• Mason Green's 2.40 ERA is second in the MIAA and his .200 opposing batting average is third. His seven wins are tied for the most in the MIAA. 
• Ben Kelsch has collected 28 punchouts looking, which leads the MIAA. 
• Jonathan Sprinkle has earned six saves which is fourth. 

Mules in the Rankings
• Central Missouri moved up to No. 11 in the NCBWA top-25, their first time in the rankings during the regular season.
• The Mules are also the top team in the NCAA Central Region rankings for the second straight weeks. The NCAA field is determined following the MIAA Tournament. 

Mules in Non-Conference Action
• UCM went 9-3 in non-conference games during the 2018 regular season. 
• They are finished with nonconference games this season and played to a 10-4 record.
• The Mules are 44-28 overall in non-conference action during Crookes' four-plus seasons.

Mules in MIAA Play
• The Mules currently lead the MIAA with a 22-8 record and three more games to play. They are one game ahead of Missouri Southern in the standings. 
• The Mules finished 24-12 in MIAA play last season and are 119-52 in conference play under Kyle Crookes.
• The Mules finished third in the regular season standings in 2017. They have won 25 overall regular season championships in program history and 12 MIAA Tournament titles. 

Mules at Home
• So far, UCM is 24-5 this season when playing at Crane Stadium.
• The Mules went 24-4 in home games during the 2018 season.
• Central Missouri is 96-21 at home under Crookes.
• The Mules are 835-165-1 (.836) in 1,001 games played in 43 seasons playing home games at Crane Stadium/Tompkins Field.
• Central Missouri was the host and winner of the 2018 MIAA Championship Tournament. 

Mules on the Road
• The Mules went 12-9 on the road in 2018
• They are 8-5 this season in true road games.
• The Mules are 59-45 on the road under head coach Kyle Crookes. 

Mules in Neutral Site Games
• UCM went 3-4 in neutral site games last season.
• In three games this season, UCM is 1-2 at neutral sites. 
• The Mules are 23-20 in neutral site games under Crookes.

UCM During the Crookes Era
• Kyle Crookes has a 176-84 (.677) record now in his fifth season as head coach at Central Missouri.
• In 2016, he won his first conference championship as head coach at UCM and the second title overall during his time in Warrensburg.
• During his first three seasons at the helm, 30 players have earned All-MIAA honors, including seven First Team nods. Seven players have earned All-Region honors, one All-American and two players have been selected in the MLB Draft.
• Coach Crookes added another MIAA Tournament Championship in 2018 and another 10 All-MIAA selections and one to the First Team, bringing the totals to 40 All-MIAA selections and eight to the First Team. 
• The Mules were 71-29 in Crookes' two seasons as an assistant coach and captured the 2014 MIAA Regular Season Championship. The Mules garnered five First Team All-MIAA selections and three All-America honors during his two years as an assistant.
• Crookes compiled a 292-164 overall record in eight seasons as the head coach at Hutchinson (Kan.) Community College before taking over as an assistant coach at UCM.

Mules Baseball History
• The 2019 season marks the 63rd in the storied history of Mules Baseball. During that span the Mules have compiled a 1,935-770-9 (.715) record in 2,714 games played.
• The Mules have won 40 or more games 18 times, including 14 straight seasons from 1999-2012, and have won 50 or more games nine times.
• The Mules have won or shared 25 MIAA championships, captured 17 regional titles and two national championships.

Mules Baseball by the Numbers
• 29 NCAA Regional Appearances (22 of the last 25 years)
• 25 MIAA Regular Season Titles (17 of the last 25)
• 22 MIAA Tournament Titles (18 of the last 25)
• 17 Regional Championships
• 15 Regionals as host site
• 14 Top Five national finishes
• 4 Third place finishes
• 1 National Runner-Up
• 2 National Championships

Mules Baseball: Winningest Team of the 2000s
• The Central Missouri baseball program has had unprecedented success in the last 25 years and has been even more impressive since the year 2000. The Mules were the winningest team in all divisions of the NCAA by victories (508) and percentage (.814, 508-116) from 2000-09. That success has continued through the 2010s.
• The Mules are 904-259 (.777) since the year 2000. An average of 46 wins per season over the last 19 years.

A Tradition of Excellence in Athletics
• Central Missouri has won a combined 215 MIAA conference championships in 14 league sports entering 2018-19 to lead all schools.
• UCM added another MIAA trophy in 2019 as the Mules Indoor Track and Field team won their first conference title since 2013. 
• The Mules Baseball MIAA Tournament Championship in 2018 was their 22nd in team history and the second MIAA Tournament Championship Central Missouri has won last year, joining Jennies Soccer.
• Last fall, Central Missouri Jennies Soccer won their first NCAA Division II National Championship with a 1-1 (5-3 PK) win over Carson-Newman. 
• Last winter, Central Missouri Jennies Basketball captured their 11th MIAA regular season championship and seventh Central Region crown. They defeated Ashland, 66-52, to win the 2018 NCAA Division II Women's Basketball Championship, the second in program history.
• In 2016-17, UCM captured three MIAA regular season titles, one MIAA Tournament crown and two NCAA Regional Championships.
• Since 1983, the tenure of Athletic Director Jerry Hughes, UCM has won or shared 161 MIAA championships, more than any other league school entering the 2018-19 year.
• Central Missouri has won 10 national championships during Hughes' tenure (men's and women's basketball in 1984, baseball in 1994 and 2003, women's bowling in 2003, men's basketball in 2014, women's indoor and outdoor track & field in 2015, women's soccer in 2017 and women's basketball in 2018, and 12 national championships overall.
• In 2016-17, Central Missouri won the inaugural MIAA's Commissioner's Cup trophy for the conference's top overall athletic department. They followed that up by winning the 2017-18 Commissioner's Cup as well.

A Tradition of Excellence in the Classroom
• Central Missouri had 256 student-athletes named to the 2017-18 MIAA Academic Honor Roll with grade point averages of 3.0 or higher.
• 35 UCM student-athletes were named MIAA Scholar Athletes with at least a 3.5 GPA and having earned all-MIAA honors in their respective sport.
• 19 UCM student-athletes were named MIAA Academic Excellence Award winners with a 4.0 GPA.
• 10 had five student-athletes earn CoSIDA Academic All-America honors in their respective sports. 
• All-time UCM is third in NCAA-II with 114 Academic All-Americans.

Upcoming
• The Mules will take part in next week's MIAA Tournament in Pittsburg, Kan. May 9-12. Their seed and opponent will be determined this weekend.